Unforgettable (Gloria Cook) - By Gloria Cook Page 0,5
to try to pull yourself together. You’re not doing yourself any good. This place is in a dreadful mess. I’ve done my best but you know better than me how a place should look. Like it or not this is our home for only God knows how long, thanks to my miserable, rotten father.’
‘Don’t talk about your father like that, Finn,’ Fiona wailed, struggling on her elbows to sit up a bit. Finn looked away, hating the sight of his mother, once beautifully groomed and classy even in utility clothes, now with straggling hair, gone a dull blonde, her eyes red-rimmed, her highly toned features now puffy and ghastly white. He especially hated her bulging middle. ‘What was it you wanted?’
‘A clean shirt. Well, where can I find one?’
Fiona shifted her cumbersome weight and leaned against the bed head, groggily pushing back tats of hair. ‘I–I did some washing in that horrid sink the other day. Have you looked in that old basket in the scullery? Wait, Finn . . .’ She was instantly panicky. ‘Why do you need a clean shirt? You got some food in yesterday. You’re not going out, are you?’
‘I have to, Mum.’ He suppressed a despairing sigh, knowing his mother was fast getting beyond thinking clearly. ‘I’ve got to look for work. The money you had in your purse is nearly all gone. We can’t live on fresh air, and there’s even a short supply of that in this damned place. I’ll try to get something part-time. I thought before I try the farms I’d ask at The Orchards. All sorts are grown there, apparently. It’s not far past the crossroads that’s just down the hill. I’ve gleaned from the couple of times I was in the general stores the Lawrys sometimes take on extra help at this time of year. Seems the best bet. So I need a clean shirt to make a good impression.’
‘But it won’t be their busy picking season yet and would be a waste of time. Finn, I don’t want you going out today. Please stay here.’
‘I can’t,’ he stressed impatiently. ‘I’ve got to earn some money. In fact, as soon as you get your head sorted out and accept that this is our life from now on, I’ll be looking for something full-time and permanent. We’ve got to make the best of it. All you need do is get out of that wretched bed and do something to make this place something like a home, and then look after the baby when it comes. Guy said we can stay here indefinitely and he’s promised to do something about the basic conditions when he gets back. We’ve got some hope, Mum. Try to see it that way. If not for Guy we’d be on the ruddy streets.’
‘I’m sorry I’m like this, Finn.’ Fiona wiped away tears of desperation. ‘It’s not my fault . . .’
‘I know that, it’s my damned father’s for getting himself sent down! Because he was so bloody bent he took a bribe off a building contractor, and why? Because he got himself up to the eyeballs in debt from dealing on the black market. Didn’t you ever wonder why we always had plenty while our neighbours were struggling with the rationing? His war effort was a bloody joke! He’s ruined our lives and sent my future down the bloody drain. Mum, you’ve got to get a grip on yourself. Keeping me tied to you in this dump all day isn’t going to help our situation.’
Finn had felt if he stayed cooped up here he would go off his head, like the local people would say his mother was and deserved to be if they discovered the truth about the strangers in their midst, and that was inevitable sooner or later. They couldn’t keep hiding away from interested callers. The small lady, casually draped, who had dropped by soon after their arrival, holding a tea towel round a promising-looking gift of welcome for them, had gazed at all the windows, showing a kind face fixed with a natural pleasant smile. Finn had wanted to speak to her on the doorstep – he was too ashamed to invite anyone inside. His mother in her condition needed at least one trustworthy female acquaintance. But Fiona had been adamant from the start that she did not want anyone to even come near the cottage. ‘They would only be busybodies and soon as they find out all about us – don’t